harmony
by StoryBooked
Summary: Hermione in a coma. Ron in love. Ginny doubting her relationship with Harry. Harry at a crossroads. That's only the beginning.
1. Prologue

*DISCLAIMER* I don't own (as much as I would like to) the Harry Potter universe, and all characters currently in the story, as well as the world, that come from her books belong to J.K. Rowling, and I am in no way trying to claim them as my own.

 **PROLOGUE**

"Hermione!" shouted Ron. He was running through the ruins of Hogwarts. The battle was over, and Ron could think of no better time or place to confess his true feelings for her. However, a dark, deep dread washed over him. What if she hadn't survived? Would he find her lifeless body broken like the cobblestones? He shuddered. The feeling washed over him several times as he stood on the entrance steps to the makeshift hospital. _No_ , he told himself. _That's not the right way to think_. His body surging with renewed courage, he ran inside.

The dimly lit hospital, once known to wizarding students as the great hall, was cluttered with people. All sorts of voices echoed around the arched room. People were pushing past him frantically, as he pushed past them. Others, even more than those crowding the paths, knelt crying next to people whose light had left their eyes. Some held hands, speaking in hushed tones. Seeing these morbid scenes made him doubt. So many people hadn't made it… What was it that made him think she would?

He walked faster, searching more frantically now. There! Brown hair!

"Hermione!" he called, breaking into a run. The brown head turned. Ron's shoulders fell. It was Lavender, not Hermione. He blamed himself for his let down. He had let his hope get the better of him once again. Wait… Lavender was crying!

"Ron!" she yelled. "Didn't you hear me?"

Ron shook his head, his anxiety clear on his face.

"She's over here! Come quickly!" Lavender was beckoning with her hand. He walked faster, breaking into a run.

"Oi!" said a rough male voice.

"Sorry!" he said quickly, slowing his pace. Running into people wasn't going to help him get there faster.

"Ron!" he heard Lavender yell. "Where are you?" He could hear the tears in her voice now, she must be close. Through the crowds of nurses and wounded, he caught a glimpse of emerald eyes. It was Harry! Where Harry was, Hermione would surely be. Letting his eyes guide him, rather than his ears or feet, he ran.

Slowly he broke through the crowd. There was a tiny clearing around her. At least these people were respectful. Clustered around the small thin mattress were his friends and family. Harry, Ginny, Lavender, even his parents were there. Harry looked up, his grin at seeing him made less happy by the obvious tears welling in his eyes. "Harry," said Ron, anxiety audible in his voice as it broke.

"What… What's happened?" Harry was clutching Hermione's hand. Travelling up her pale arm to her face, he could see her closed eyes. Her brown hair fanned out across her shoulders. She looked peaceful.

"Is she…" he asked. They did not need to hear the rest to know what he was about to ask. Harry looked up, the response hovering on his lips. A wave of emotions flooded over him. Hope, sadness, anger, fear.

"No," said Harry. Ron could not fathom the relief that hit him in that one moment. He sank to his knees, tears of relief freely falling.

"You didn't let me finish," said Harry, sadness still clearly evident in his voice. "She isn't dead. She's dying."

Suddenly, Ron's world fell apart again. It really wasn't fair, this whole life thing. One minute you were flying with the birds in the sunshine, and the next you had fallen from the sky, with broken bones feeling nothing but sadness. Ron was certainly feeling like the latter. Would he ever get to tell her how he felt? Ever since he had left them in the forest because of his own petty reasons, all he had thought about was her. He had been planning his confession for months, and let's just say it most certainly did not involve her dying in his arms as his tears hit her face. "Come here," Harry said gently.

"She'll want you with her too." Ron nodded silently, and slowly shuffled over on his knees.

"Hermione…" he whispered.

"I'm sorry… We failed you…" Harry looked at him.

"You can hold her hand if you want to." He lifted her pale, limp hand, and Ron took it.

"She's in a coma. The healers from St. Mungos said they'll be here in an hour." Ron lifted his head. Was that a tiny flicker of hope he could feel?

"Will that be enough?" he asked.

"Will she survive the hour?" Harry sighed, exasperated.

"I'm no seer, Ron," he said.

"And as you well know, Trelawney is quite fond of predicting deaths rather than lives." A ghost of a smile drifted upon Harry's face.

"It's good to have you back," he said. "Me and Ginny were fairly certain you'd died." Ron smiled. The almost-promise that Hermione would live had brought the happiness back to his eyes.

"I'm tougher than you non-believers think," he said, jokingly.

"Us non-believers?" Harry said, confused.

"People who don't believe in the great and amazing awesomeness of Ron, of course!" Harry, Ginny and Lavender laughed.

"At least your personality is still there," said Ginny. "Whether that's a blessing or a curse, I've yet to decide." Soon they were laughing. The knowledge that Hermione would be safe, at least if she survived the hour, had brought the laughter back.

An hour later, she was still breathing (thank god). Ron, Harry and Ginny had been taking turns holding her hand so that she would know they were all safe, even if she couldn't see them. Lavender had gone home already. Her mum was a healer, and she'd been tending other patients before coming to pick her up. She'd bustled in, covered in strange stains from god knows where. Lavender had said her goodbyes, even to Hermione. Ron absentmindedly wondered if Hermione was exploring some fantasy world, blissfully unaware of all the pain she had caused. He didn't even realise an hour was up until Harry told him.

"Mate," said Harry, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Mmm?" said Ron, looking up. He'd been startled out of his quiet reverie.

"An hour's up. Also, she's still breathing." Huge grins spread across both of their faces. Ron stood from his kneeling position next to Hermione.

"D'you mind waiting with her for a bit? I just need a bit of fresh air." Harry nodded.

"No problem. If you see the St. Mungo's helicopter, come straight back, okay?" Ron nodded.

"I'll only be a minute."

The path was a lot clearer now, with less people rushing around the hospital. Most of the healers, like Lavender's mum, had left a little while ago. A few still remained, tending the more seriously wounded and preparing them to go to the hospital. The dead were lined up against the far wall, little more than mounds covered in white cloth. As he made his way to the exit, Ginny pushed past him. She'd left to go for a walk around fifteen minutes before. He held out an arm to stop her.

"Hey Ginny," he said quietly. She looked up, her brown doe eyes welling up with tears.

"What's wrong?" he said. "While I was out, I found mum…" A single tear rolled down her cheek.

"What happened?" He was genuinely worried now.

"It's Fred…" She broke down, sinking to the floor as tears flooded out of her eyes. Quick footsteps echoed through the hall, coming closer to them. Ron looked up to see Harry running towards them.

"What's wrong?" he said, worriedly. Holding out his hand, he helped Ginny up. They'd been dating for a while now. It was weird at first, but he'd adjusted. She flung her head onto Harry's shoulder, sobbing her heart out.

"Um…" said Ron. To be honest, he felt a little awkward.

"Just let her cry," Harry whispered.

"It's how girls are." He nodded. Ginny looked up, drying her eyes on her sleeve.

"Honestly, you two must have no feelings!" she said angrily, stomping her foot. "It's how girls are," she mocked. "Sorry," said Harry, running a hand through his hair and grinning sheepishly.

"Ginny, can you please answer our question?" Ron said, exasperated.

"Oh… Fred…" The light left her eyes again, and he could see them beginning to fill.

"Ginny, please don't cry!" said Harry kindly.

"How do you expect me not to cry when my brother is dead?"

Ron's jaw dropped.

"Fred…" he said. "Fred is dead?" Ginny nodded solemnly. Ron held out his arms to hug her. He'd been so hung up on Hermione that he hadn't realised… Hadn't realised that one of the cloth mounds had a strand of orange peeking out from the edge.

"Are you… ok?" asked Harry. It was clear he wasn't exactly a pro at this whole comforting thing. His parents had died when he was little, sure, but he was hardly an expert on death. Then again, neither was Ron.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said. "I'll deal with this later." As he said that, the whir of helicopter blades drifted over head.

"It's St. Mungo's!" Harry shouted.

"Quick! Let's get Hermione moved and ready!" Other nurses were bustling with their patients too, getting them ready. Harry, Ron and Ginny rushed to Hermione's side, Harry taking one end, Ron the other, and Ginny watching the sides. They got her outside as quickly as they could, and waved to the helicopter. It was hard to see from the ground, but the helicopter doors slid open. Two healers on broomsticks, Fire Bolts by the looks of it, slid out of the gap, side by side, a cloth sling spread between them. As they landed, they climbed off the brooms and ran over. "I'm Catelyn, and this is Al. We'll take it from here," said the girl healer. She held up a pass quickly, and she and Al rushed to the mattress and lifted it onto the sling.

"Can we come with her?" Harry and Ron said in unison, then looked at each other and grinned. Catelyn shook her head.

"Sorry, but the emergency response helicopter is only for the patient," she said in a stern tone.

"You can come and visit in a week, once all the checkups are complete," said Al, more kindly than Catelyn. With that, they jumped on the broomsticks and took off, Hermione dangling between them.


	2. Chapter 1 - A Hospital Visit

*DISCLAIMER* Once again, I don't own the HP universe.

Chapter 1

A Hospital Visit

Harry had a lot of things on his mind. Hermione. Ginny. Ron. Work. He desperately needed a break from it all. That was why he was currently spending his Sunday morning sitting backwards in a black cab on the way to St. Mungo's. True, Hermione was one of the things he was worrying about, but it brought him peace when he went to see her. She would lie there so peacefully, and he could just talk to her. Even if she wasn't listening, he was able to freely talk without anyone hearing. It was almost a ritual of his. Every week on a Wednesday for the past two years he would come visit Hermione. He saw the little red light flick on which meant the driver could hear him.

"Nearly there mate," said a man's voice. He sounded like he was from the less posh area of town, and he had the accent to prove it.

"Just through this patch of traffic." Harry smiled.

"Thanks," he said.

"No problems." The cab lurched to the side, Harry rocking in his seat. They pulled to a stop, brakes screeching against the road. Well, taxi drivers never were famous for their amazing driving skills. Harry pushed open the door and walked up to the passenger seat window.

"How much?" he asked, holding up his wallet.

"It'll be ten quid," he said, holding out his hand. Harry rifled through his wallet, producing a ten pound note. He handed it to the driver, who tipped his hat and waved. Harry swivelled around and walked to the abandoned apartment store which was secretly St. Mungos.

He casually walked over to the secret window entrance and pretended to look at the mannequin displaying completely old-fashioned clothes.

" _Psst,"_ he whispered out of the corner of his mouth. The mannequin lifted its seemingly limp neck. Harry waved slightly. The mannequin lifted one finger, as if to tell him to wait. It bent its neck down, seemingly searching for something, then bent down further. When the mannequin resurfaced, it was holding a pad of paper and a pen. Its hand swivelled, showing him the front of the paper pad. It was a list of the most frequent visitors, with brief descriptions. It lifted the pen and pointed to the first recorded name on the list - **_HARRY JAMES POTTER,_** _Black Hair, Green Eyes, Round Glasses, Strange Scar._ It probably said something about the amount of spare time he had that he was the most frequent visitor of St. Mungos. He nodded sheepishly, smiling. The mannequin nodded, bent over, and resurfaced without its pad. It beckoned for him to come inside. Harry stepped forwards. This part always freaked him out a little. He shut his eyes, and stepped through the window.

He emerged in the grand foyer of St. Mungo's hospital, with its white marble and tiles. Waiting in line for the receptionist were several different patients, all with rather odd injuries. One of them had grown leathery bat wings (which would be pretty cool, but not exactly ideal for life with muggles). Another one had a more human injury, he was limping with a pair of makeshift crutches. Harry assumed this was because of some magic spell, otherwise he would've gone to a regular muggle hospital. He walked over to the receptionist's desk and joined the line. He prepared himself to stand there for half an hour, listening to the receptionist (a nice lady with long black hair and frameless glasses) patiently deal with all the injured wizarding folk. As he contemplated this, he remembered the old receptionist in his fifth year. She had no patience whatsoever, and was practically spitting fire when he and his travelling gang had finally reached the front.

"Hello madam, how may I help you?" said the receptionist to a young woman with a polished blonde bob and tiffany sunglasses, wearing something that looked fresh off Bond Street.

"Yes, hello there," she said, in a tone that indicated she clearly thought herself above the woman speaking to her.

"You see, I'm here because of a hex that some idiot put on me as a practical joke. You see, I was shopping-" The receptionist held up a hand, cutting her off.

"I don't need to hear your life story. You want fourth floor, spell damage," she said. The woman stomped her foot, obviously frustrated.

"You didn't let me describe my injury!" She removed her glasses, to reveal that her eyes were stuck shut. The receptionist nodded.

"Ah, yes, many apologies," she said. "I'll just make a call for someone to come and guide you there."

"Thank you," said the lady. The receptionist punched in a four-digit number on her desk phone, and picked it up.

"Ah yes, assistance," she said. "This is Lucy speaking, from the front desk." There was a slight pause, and she spoke again.

"Yes, I require the aid of one healer please, ground floor, to guide this patient to the fourth floor." There was another pause, some nodding and she spoke again.

"Thank you very much," she said, putting down the phone. She swivelled in her chair to face the lady.

"They'll be down in five minutes," she said. 'Just a moment please…" The receptionist scanned the line, before her eyes settled on Harry.

"Excuse me sir," she said. "Would you mind escorting this lady to a seat in the waiting area?" She smiled hopefully. He nodded.

"Of course," he said.

"Thanks," she said under her breath as he walked past. He smiled, with a little half-nod. Harry led the lady to a chair as quickly as he could.

"You can sit now, miss," he said, helping her down. He walked back to his place at the end of the line.

"Sir?" called the receptionist. He looked up.

"Yes?" he asked.

"You can come up the front, so long as you're here to visit," she was smiling. He nodded gratefully and walked to the front.

"Who are you here to see?" she asked, computer at the ready.

"Um… I'm here to see Hermione Granger? The Janus Thickey Ward?" he said.

"Ah, yes…" she said. 'The one in the coma. You can go right on up to floor four whenever you're ready."

"Thank you," he said. He left the front of the line, getting a few glares from patients who had been waiting for longer than him. Harry headed towards the elevators on the left of the desk and pressed the button. He stood there waiting for about 5 minutes before it finally made a sound to indicate that it was on his level. The doors slid open and he stepped inside. Scanning the button panel, he pressed the one which would take him to level four. The doors slid shut, and he waited.

On the fourth floor, the elevator doors opened to a male healer clad in the traditional bright green robes of St. Mungo's, emblazoned with the logo of the hospital - A wand crossed with a bone. He was reading from a pad of paper. He looked up when Harry stepped out of the elevator.

"Mr… Potter, is it?" he asked. Harry nodded.

"Yep, that's me," he said. "I'm here to see-"

"Yes, I know, why do you think I'm here?" he said. He was clearly annoyed about something.

"If you would be so kind as to follow me," he called as he strode away. Harry had to break into a quick jog. The only thing that prevented him from losing him amongst the crowd of green healers and visitors was the fact that he was 6 foot tall and bald, so he was pretty hard to lose. Eventually he caught up to find him tapping his foot in front of a door. Aha. So that was why he had asked him to follow. It was a different room than usual.

"She's in there, he said in monotone, pointing to the door. "Go right on in, it's unlocked." Harry nodded, and pushed the door open. He shut it behind him as he entered the much quieter, brighter ward. There was no one in here except for him. The healers had clearly given up and left life support to do its thing. The bright, glaring lights were cold and white, instead of warm and yellow like back at his apartment. If Hermione woke up - No, _when_ Hermione woke up - he would show her. He knew she would be amazed. Harry lived in One Hyde Park, the most expensive apartment block in the whole of London. To top that off, he lived in the penthouse! He had paid for it by exchanging roughly 1000 galleons into muggle pounds. He had figured that if you were going to live in London, you had to do it in style. Even better, he was right near Hyde Park and all the best shopping spots (as Ginny had found out when he invited the Weasleys over). In Winter, he got one of the best views in England, Hyde Park covered in snow. Yes, Hermione would love it there. He walked over to the sectioned-off area of the solitary room, and pushed the curtains aside. There she was, lying there. Serene, peaceful, as if she was dreaming of better things. He smiled. Harry could remember when they were children, having crazy adventures all around Hogwarts. He could never have imagined that one day, those adventures would nearly get her killed. His smile vanished, and tears replaced them. He lifted up her pale hand from where it lay limp at her side.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione." He bent his head and let his tears fall. He had failed her. She would die because of him, and he wept more. A single tear of his hit her face, and he could have sworn that she squeezed his hand a little harder. He blinked the tears away, after all, he hadn't come here to make himself sad. He had almost forgotten the satchel he had been carrying. It was a light brown leather, and it was carrying his wallet, as well as a small wrapped gift. He bent down, reached in and grabbed the gift, lifting it into the light. It was very badly wrapped, in wrapping paper made of old photographs of the three of them. It was a small box, only about seven centimetres square. He pressed it into Hermione's hand, opening it with his own. He was careful to rip the wrapping paper as little as possible. When the paper was removed, it revealed a small, navy blue velvet box. He opened it for her. Inside, there was a small pendant, in the shape of an open book, carved with two images. The first was a cat (which looked suspiciously like Crookshanks) surrounded by a heart. The second image was another heart, with the word Always

engraved inside it. He had ordered it especially for her, because he wanted something that came from the heart. He lifted up her head, and slid the clasp behind it, buckling the pendant around her neck. It looked beautiful on her. Harry wished she was awake to see it.

Harry stayed with her through almost the entire day, taking intervals to go to the toilet and to get food. He didn't know why, but time always seemed to pass more quickly when he was with her. An hour or so into his visit, Ginny called to chat. He updated her on how Hermione was doing, and discussed the necklace that he had got for her. Ginny seemed a little annoyed that he hadn't put in the effort for her, but he reminded her that it was her birthday in two weeks and told her she would get something then. With that, she had to go to class (she had decided to go to a muggle university) and they said their goodbyes and hung up. He sat by Hermione for a little longer before he started to feel lonely and called Ron. After about 8 rings, he picked up.

"Blimey Harry," he said groggily. "Do you _always_ have to wake me up?" Harry smiled. Just like Ron, sleeping and eating. When he considered it, Ron was just like a cat. It was a wonder he didn't like Crookshanks more, they were like twins.

"Yes. Yes I do," he said, laughing.

"Fine then," said Ron's voice from the other end (he sounded a whole lot more awake now). "What do you want?"

"I'm at St. Mungo's with 'mione," he said. "I was wondering if you wanted to come down and see her too."

"Hold on a sec," he said. He heard the sound of the phone being put on Ron's bedside table, followed by several crashes, bangs and a few swear words. Approximately 5 minutes later, he was back on the line, sounding less awake and a whole lot more out of breath.

"I'm dressed, ready and I will be there, like, as fast as a firebolt," he said. Harry was laughing.

"So that's your new catchphrase, huh?" he asked.

"Yep!" said Ron. "I'm already out the door and I'm about to lose service so bye!" The familiar hang-up beep sounded and Harry removed the phone from his ear, still laughing.

"Just like Ron, eh," he said to Hermione, smiling. He could have sworn that the corners of her mouth lifted slightly, but he was probably just imagining things.

About half an hour later, the door to the ward slammed open, revealing Ron in all his glory - Red-cheeked, out of breath, hair dishevelled and his eyes wild.

"Jesus Ron, what's got you all worked up?" he asked. Ron walked into the sectioned off part of the ward and calmly sat down.

"Nothing, Harry," he said. "Is there anything unusual about wanting to see your two best friends?"

"Good point," Harry said, grinning. "It's good to see you. How's university going?"

"It's pretty good, I guess," he said, shrugging. "Class is hard, but then again, when has it ever been easy?" Harry nodded. Ron had been going to the same uni as Ginny for the past couple of months, studying sport science. He was obsessed with quidditch, and he thought that learning more about muggle sport would help him in his dreams of becoming a keeper. On his off days, he attended any quidditch match that was on, as well as weekly lessons at the Official Quidditch Academy in Cambridge. Harry and Ginny had held many debates on the subject of whether or not Ron would ever fulfil his dream, and on multiple occasions they had decided that he would, wouldn't, or maybe even that the moment he got a girlfriend he would ditch the dream and run off to get married. They would always be doubled over in laughing fits after these debates.

"True," said Harry. "Another excellent point." Ron nodded enthusiastically.

"How's the quidditch going?" he asked. "Are you on a team yet?" Ron did a happy little jig.

"Yeah! That's the best part!" he said, grinning wide. "They're called the Ottery Ocelots!"

"Oh yeah?" Harry sat up, intrigued. Perhaps he'd win the bet he'd made with Ginny, and get his fiver back.

"What position?" Ron resumed his Snoopy-style happy dance, even more lively this time.

"I'M THE KEEPER!" He yelled, fists in the air. Harry was stunned. To be honest, he'd never thought Ron would _actually_ make it big.

"That is honestly amazing Ron!" he said. "I'm so happy for you!" He looked over at him, but Ron's attention had been caught by something else. Hermione was moving!

She was tossing and turning, as if she was having a nightmare. Ron looked at Harry, fear on his face.

"I'm sure it's fine," he said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Just stay calm. I'll call a healer." Ron nodded mutely, clearly unable to decide what to do. Harry walked, or rather, speed walked, over to the wall, where the emergency button was located. It was bright green, with the St. Mungo's logo and the word ' **EMERGENCY'** printed on top. He pressed the button and waited. There was a loud crackle (presumably the sound of the phone line connecting) and then a voice.

"Hello?" said a female voice. "This is the healer station. What is the emergency?"

"Yes, hello," said Harry. "We're in the Janus Thickey Ward. A coma patient is moving, we don't know what to do." There were a few noises on the other end, before the voice came back on the line.

"We're sending a healer up, hold on," she said.

"Thank you," said Harry, but she had already hung up. Ron was sitting in the chair next to her bed, fidgeting, his anxiety clear. Harry could hear footsteps coming towards the ward, hopefully the healer. The door swung open, not so violently as when Ron had arrived, revealing a female healer clad in green. Her hair was red, and her eyes blue. She walked calmly over to the bed, carrying a small box.

"That's her healer box," whispered Ron. "Not one wizard apart from her knows what's in there." Harry was surprised to hear this, as he had thought at least the other healers would know. He'd been living in this world for almost ten years and he _still_ hadn't seen it all.

"So," she said professionally. "A moving coma patient." Harry nodded.

"What can you do for her?" asked Ron, standing to his full, gangly height.

"Sir," she said. "If you could please move out of my way I could do a lot more for her." Ron's ears reddened, he was clearly embarrassed. He stepped to the side, allowing the healer to move through. She bent down next to Hermione, and opened her healer box. Producing a wet cloth, she pressed it to Hermione's forehead, cooling her down. Her wriggling and rolling around eased off a bit, but not much.

"Hmm…" said the healer. "What if?" Harry and Ron looked at each other, confused.

"What if what?" said Ron. The healer looked up at him, before reaching a hand over,and pinching Hermione firmly on the arm. Immediately, the movement ceased. The healer smiled, and pressed her hands together.

"I have some excellent news!" she said, excited. Harry supposed it was the nature of all people to be excited when they did something right.

"What is it?" asked Ron, perking up immediately.

"You see," said the healer. "She was dreaming!" Ron's shoulders fell again.

"How is that important?" asked Harry. Sure, it was interesting, but it was hardly necessary to Hermione's condition. The nurse sighed, quite clearly exasperated.

"If she was dreaming," she said slowly, trying to help them get the point. "It means she is close to the surface." Ron still looked thoroughly bemused.

"Um…" he said, slowly. "I don't get it." It was in this brief instance that Harry understood. Dreaming. Close to the surface. Suddenly he knew what it all meant.

"Hermione's going to wake up," he said under his breath. "HERMIONE'S GOING TO WAKE UP!" He yelled. Ron's jaw dropped, and the healer sat down, mopping her forehead with the cold cloth, obviously pleased that someone had understood.

"Thank you," said Ron. "Thank you so, so much!" He stood up, and gave the poor healer one of his famous bone-crush hugs. She made a noise slightly like a mouse choking, and he let her go.

"Sorry," he said, grinning. His ears were red again. The healer smoothed down the creases in her robes, put away her cloth, and shut her healer's box.

"If you will excuse me," she said quickly. "I have to go tell everyone the news!" With that, she picked up her box and bustled swiftly out the door.

"Blimey, mate," said Ron. Harry nodded, at a loss for words. His best friend, who had been in a coma for the past two years, was going to wake up (probably).

"We'll see her again," said Ron. "For some reason I had this picture in my head of her sleeping for a hundred years." Harry sighed, shaking his head. Ron was never the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he was loyal and kind. He hoped that soon, Ron would find someone who deserved him.

"Hey Harry," said Ron, standing by the bed.

"Mmm?" said Harry, looking up. Ron was looking at the pendant that Harry had given Hermione.

"D'you know who gave her this?" he asked, pointing to the charm.

"Yeah, I do," he said. Ron looked up, expectantly.

"Well?" he asked. "Who?"

"Me," said Harry. "I gave it to her today." For some reason, Ron's eyes narrowed.

"Do you have… Feelings for her?" Ron asked tentatively. Harry was insulted that he'd even asked him this.

"Of course not," he said. "Have you forgotten I'm dating your sister?"  
"Yeah, sorry," he said. "That was a really stupid question." Harry nodded.

"Yes it was," he said. Ron smiled, embarrassed again.

"Look, mate," said Ron. "Do you think Hermione… likes me? Like, not as a friend?" Harry was stunned. Ron had a crush on Hermione? She'd been their best friend for 9 years!

"I'm not exactly able to tell you," said Harry. 'After all, we haven't spoken for 2 YEARS." Ron smiled.

"Yeah, true," he said, realising his mistake. Harry laughed.

"Well, hopefully, soon enough, you two will be talking," he said. "I think you deserve her and she deserves you." Ron grinned.

"Thanks Harry," said Ron. Harry smiled.

"No issues," he said. "Sure, you might not be the smartest…"

"HEY!" said Ron, folding his arms. Harry laughed and put his hands up.

"Kidding, kidding," he said, still laughing. Ron looked at his watch.

"Oh, I've got to go," he said.

"Why?" asked Harry.

"Quidditch lessons," he said, miming a gag. Harry nodded. Any type of lesson, no matter how fun at the beginning, always got boring by the end. That was just the way it worked.

"Well, bye then," said Harry. "It's been great seeing you." Ron nodded.

"Bye!" he said, as he walked to the door. As he opened the door, he waved, and then he was gone. Just him and Hermione, like it almost always was.

A few hours later, at 6:00 in the evening, Harry bid Hermione farewell and headed out to his dinner with Ginny at Byron Burger. Neither of them had been feeling fancy, so they'd settled for a burger meal and TV at Harry's apartment. As he left the Janus Thickey Ward, many things were flashing through his head. When would Hermione wake up? How much would she remember? He was ashamed to say that nothing was in his head except for Hermione, not even Ginny. He couldn't wait to tell her the good news. The elevator doors slid open on the ground floor and Harry stepped out, walking quickly through the foyer. Lucy the receptionist waved, and he smiled at her. Exiting the premises, Harry stepped out onto the muggle street, all the passers-by none the wiser. He walked to the nearest cab, hailed it, and set off for his dinner at Byron.


	3. Chapter 2 - The Good News

Chapter 2

The Good News

Ginny was driving her new car, a Mini, from One Hyde Park to go meet Harry for dinner at Byron. She had to admit, it always annoyed her just how much time he spent at the hospital nowadays. Ginny supposed she was lucky he only went to visit Hermione on Wednesdays. She would have gone with him today, but she'd had class studying computer technology. When he'd left the hospital, Harry had called her to let her know that he was on his way, and that he had some excellent news, but he wouldn't tell her what it was. He had promised that his visits to Hermione would be stopping soon, or at least becoming less frequent. This had led Ginny to fantasise about all the different possibilities that the good news could be. Maybe he'd got a new job and he would finally be working instead of just wandering around all day. Maybe he'd given up on Hermione (though that wasn't good, so she'd eliminated that pretty fast). She got caught in traffic around South Kensington, so she sat there for a while, drumming her hands on the wheel and just thinking. When the red light finally turned green, she practically floored the pedal. She never wanted to be late for dates with Harry. Because of class, she barely ever got to spent time with him any more. It made Ginny sad to think like this, which was why she always tried to look on the bright side. She was a relentless optimist, often fetching laughter from Harry when she tried to make a joke about Hermione - 'On the bright side, she won't have to sleep again for another two years' - Harry had laughed, but she had heard the strain in his voice, and knew it was fake. Ginny knew that the man she had loved back in 5th and 6th year was gone. So many people had died for him, so many of their friends were gone. It must be hard having all that on your shoulders. The problem was, when she realised this, that old Harry was gone, it always made her wonder if she should stay with the new Harry. She shook away the grey cloud that had settled over her head, as she pulled into a park on a side street. Opening the door, she slipped out quickly, so as to avoid the traffic. Ginny shut the door of the little red Mini (it was red as a homage to her red-head family) and locked it behind her. Quickly, she walked over to the sidewalk, a little concrete-paved strip which was cracked and growing weeds in places. It was clear no one used this street for parking much. She slipped her hands into her coat pockets and set off for dinner, boot heels clicking on the concrete pavers.

Byron was always busy at this time of night, and she was glad she'd told Harry to get a booking. Pushing open the door, Ginny was rushed with an explosion of warm air. After lifting away the little fronds of red that had settled on her face, she looked around to see if she could find Harry. After looking around about three times and successfully missing him all three, she finally found him sitting at a small round table in the corner, reading a menu. She walked over quickly, and pulled out a chair.

"I'm so sorry," she said, as she slid her bag under the table. "The traffic around South Ken was appalling!" Harry looked up, smiling. He didn't seem to mind that she was late.

"It's okay, Ginny," he said. She smiled gratefully. Ginny was always relieved that she had such an understanding boyfriend.

"So, what was this mysterious 'excellent news' you were telling me about?" she said, dropping into her chair, resting her chin in her hands curiously. Harry grinned. It was clear that he'd been looking forward to telling her this all evening.

"Well, I was at the hospital, right," he said. Ginny sighed. Of course it was news about Hermione. It was _always_ news about Hermione. She settled in for a long story.

"Yeah?" she said.

"Ron was there too," he said. Ginny smiled. Ron would do anything for Hermione. "Basically, he noticed that Hermione was, like, legitimately moving. You know, like when you toss and turn in your sleep." Ginny perked up. This story might actually be more interesting than the countless other Hermione stories he told her.

"So I called the healer, using the emergency button, you know, the one on the wall." Ginny nodded.

"Yeah, I know the one," she said.

'Yeah that one. Anyway, the healer arrived with this thing called a 'healer box'," he said. "She tried a couple things from the healer box, like a wet cloth, but none of it worked." Ginny was interested. This wasn't a story with an end she could predict.

"Eventually, she just tried pinching her, " he said, miming a pinching gesture with his hands. "The shaking just stopped, just like that!" Ginny sighed. Of course it was a story with a happy ending. Hermione didn't die, yay, everyone can just get on with their lives now. Ginny hated sounding so bitter, but Hermione had been in a coma for so long that stories like these got boring after a while.

"Then, she told us something," he said. " _This_ was what I wanted to tell you!" Ginny looked up. She hadn't actually expected him to speak again, and had been preparing for an awkward silence. To be honest, Ginny really didn't know why she needed all of this extra backstory before they reached the actual news.

"Can we just get to the point?" she asked, twiddling a fork in her hands and doing napkin origami. "I'm _starving!_ " Harry just smiled. She could tell he wasn't really listening.

"Hermione is going to wake up!" Harry yelled. Ginny could feel her cheeks going bright red. Everyone in the restaurant was looking, and she pulled up her coat hood to hide her face. The loud chitchat from before had disappeared, and it was dead silent.

"Harry," she whispered through gritted teeth. His face was bright red too, but he was grinning.

"Sorry," he whispered back apologetically. Slowly the voices trickled back into hearing, until it was just as loud as before. Once the embarrassment from before had worn off, and her face had returned to a less-tomato like hue, Ginny had time to fully process the news (and to remove her hood).

"Harry, that's great news!" she said enthusiastically. "We'll see Hermione again!" Harry nodded enthusiastically. True, she wasn't as ecstatic as Harry over the news, but she was happy for Ron, who had spent the last two years pining over this girl.

"Now that we've got that covered, shall we order?" asked Harry. "I'll pay if you like." Ginny smiled, nodding. She could tell he was trying to be chivalrous, and even if he wasn't the best at it, she appreciated the gesture.

"Do we have any other menus?" she asked. Harry looked around him, but came up with nothing.

"Hold on," he said. "I'll call a waiter over." He put up a hand to call one, rather than actually call out. Ginny was glad he had opted for a less, shall we say, loud approach to the situation. She'd had quite enough embarrassment for one evening. Soon, a small woman, who was on the larger side of the scales, bustled over. Her grey bun had strands falling loose at the edges.

"Sorry, sorry," she said in an immensely strong Scottish accent. She reminded Ginny of Professor McGonagall, and for a moment she got nostalgic of her Hogwarts days.

"My name is Lisa," she said. "I'll be serving you this evening." Harry smiled at her.

"Could we please have one more menu?" he asked, clearly very awkward in the situation. He was rubbing the back of his head. The waitress huffed, most likely annoyed at being called for such a trivial task.

"I'll get that right away for you," she said, waddling away. Ginny turned her head from where she'd been watching the waitress, mouth open. Harry was watching her, and they both subsequently burst into laughter. Hands shaking, she gripped the table, taking long breaths to calm herself down. There was a small sound that came from her right, and Ginny looked over to see Lisa standing there, arms crossed, her eyes staring daggers. It was clear she wasn't exactly a people person.

"I brought a menu," she said, her Scottish accent laced through with anger. "Here you go." She flipped one of her arms out from its folded position, producing a laminated menu. Ginny took it, blushing. Harry was grinning, trying hard not to laugh.

"Thanks," said Ginny. Lisa waddled off again to serve another table, two muggle adults and a child.

"Have you ever been here before?" Harry asked, not looking and reading the menu.

"No, I haven't," said Ginny, nonchalantly, reading the menu. There were so many things to choose from - Classic, Cheese, Chilli Queen, Chicken, and even some things that didn't start with C!

"What would you recommend?" she asked Harry. He looked up.

"Oh, I'm not sure," he said sheepishly. "I'm pretty fussy… Normally I have a custom order." Ginny was surprised, but then again, when had Harry ever been a stick-to-the-rules, conform to society kind of guy? We were talking about the guy who had called You-Know-Who Voldemort from the moment he'd known how.

Things went on like this for the majority of the evening. Ginny finally decided on just having the Classic burger, and Harry had his crazy custom order (toasted brioche bun, wagyu beef cooked medium rare, special cheese, special salad, and on and on it went). Once they arrived, they ate, talked some more, and both decided not to have dessert, even though there was some argument on Harry's end. At about 8:00 in the evening, Harry called for the bill. After a brief argument, they agreed to split the bill. Harry was trying to be chivalrous and Ginny wasn't having it. So far, it was Ginny - 2, Harry - 0, on the argument winning chart this evening. Leaving the restaurant, Harry insisted upon opening the door for her. Whether this was good or bad she didn't know, because it meant she had to go into the cold before him. Harry had called a cab to pick them up from the restaurant, which was good, because it meant she didn't have to make the long, cold walk back to her car.

Sitting in the cab together, listening to the tinny music, Harry was obviously elsewhere. He hadn't even complained about the loss of England to Ireland in the Quidditch cup. Ginny sighed. She would obviously have to entertain herself with her own thoughts. She sat there wondering for a while, about various things she didn't care to name. Eventually they arrived home. Ginny was in a kind of daze, and so it wasn't until Harry actually forcefully shook her shoulder that she realised they were home. Shaking of the dew from her daydream, Ginny took Harry's hand and climbed out of the cab into the cold. She drew her coat closer around her, shivering. Harry put his arm around her and drew her close. She was grateful for the warmth. Harry pushed open the revolving glass doors and entered the grand foyer. It was empty, completely empty, except for them. The click of their shoe heels echoed throughout, as Harry walked quickly to the elevator, seemingly on-edge. Ginny shook her head internally. It had been 2 years since Voldemort was defeated, but Harry was still afraid. It was fair, but still. Most of the death eaters had been defeated. Reaching the elevator, Ginny extended her hand to push the button. Once she did, the two of them stood there, hand in hand, the awkward silence embracing them. The metal doors slid open, and in they went. Now, instead of awkward silence embracing them, it was awkward elevator music.

The shiny steel doors slid open once again on the penthouse floor, and Harry stepped out. Ginny followed, and took yet another double take. It didn't matter how many different times she came here, she could never get over just how big it was. So many rooms to see, but it felt like she would never see them all. It felt as though it was endless, a thousand leagues from the cramped, homely style of the burrow. Sometimes Ginny missed the Burrow, how comforting and familiar it was, compared to how open and cold this apartment was. Harry seemed to feel at home in the openness, but he had grown up under the stairs. The openness for him was a beautiful thing.  
"So…" she said, struggling to find a conversation topic. Harry ran a hand through his dark hair, clearly feeling awkward .

"Do you want to, I don't know, watch a film or something?" asked Harry. Ginny nodded, smiling. An hour and a half of not talking and not feeling awkward.

"Sure," she said. "We didn't exactly talk much at dinner." Harry laughed.

"True," he said. "We haven't been talking much lately." Ginny nodded sadly.

"Well, what with uni, and Hermione, we haven't had much of a chance," she said. "I wish we could talk more, but you're always with her, you know?" Harry put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Hey," he said. "When Hermione wakes up, you and I will have loads more us time, ok?" Ginny nodded, blinking away the tears that had formed so suddenly.

"Promise?" she asked, looking up at him. He smiled.

"Promise

Later that night, when the movie was over, she lay next to Harry in bed, with the lights off, eyes open, just thinking. The soft sound of Harry's breathing was lulling her slowly to sleep. Her eyes were open, and she was just staring into the darkness. Why was she still with Harry? They had so many differences. Maybe it was just the tail end of a childish crush. Maybe they just hadn't quite clicked yet, hadn't found their place. Ginny wanted to persist with Harry, wanted to be understanding. His best friend was in a coma. But what if she reached a point where she couldn't persist any more? What if, what if, what if. There was no use wondering, if it would just make her sadder. Ginny decided that she ought to just go to sleep. Worries can't trouble you in the great sea of dreams. Rolling over in the bed to face away from Harry, Ginny shut her eyes and proceeded to keep them shut until she fell asleep.

That night, Ginny dreamt. She dreamt of Hermione and Harry, seeing them together, happy and in love, with her and Ron on the sidelines. If she looked too hard at Ron, his skin melted away, revealing tiny shattered fragments of his heart, and no bones or organs. Ginny turned away, but there was Harry and Hermione. Turn back, broken-hearted Ron. Noise swelled, Ron sobbing, Harry laughing, Hermione talking, her own voice yelling, screaming, tears, laughter, happiness, anger, sadness. Ginny bolted upwards, cold sweat dotting her face and back. She looked over, only to see that Harry was gone. The blinds were still drawn, the lights were still dark. Where was he? climbing out of bed, dangling her feet over the edge of the bed until they touched the carpet. Climbing out of bed, she shivered. Why had she chosen such a skimpy nightie? Ginny had no idea why, she was wearing long pyjamas. It was if she could sense that something was wrong. Feeling around of the bedside table for her phone, she grabbed it and made sure it was open to the phone app, ready to dial 999 if she had to. Slowly, quietly, she walked to the door, ever cautious. Opening the door, she saw that the living room was completely empty. The large, open space scared Ginny. Nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide. Shaking of the thin veil of fear, Ginny continued walking on the cold, marble floor. Even though this was her house, she had never felt so alone. She kept walking, over to the slightly ajar door in the corner. Strangely, she could have sworn that she'd never seen this particular door before. Walking cautiously over to the door, Ginny pushed it open, only to see Hermione and Harry - kissing.

Once more, Ginny bolted upright. Before she decided to do anything rash, she made sure to check her surroundings. Was Harry next to her? Yes. She could see morning light shining around the edges of the blinds, and she sighed with relief. No more creepy night scenes for her. Ginny reached a hand out, and placed it onto Harry's bare shoulder, giving him a gentle shake. Groggily, Harry moved his shoulder away, grunting. Ginny smiled, giggling.

"Wake up!" she said playfully, giving him a shove. Lifting up his other hand, Harry batted hers away, before rolling over, grinning.

"Morning," he said. "Normally you're up after I've left. Why are you up?" Ginny shook her head.

"There's no point," she said, evasively. "Just some bad dreams." Harry propped himself up on one elbow.

"What were they about?" he asked. She could hear the sympathy in his voice, and she looked away. Ginny had no need for her boyfriend to find out that she was having horrific nightmares that woke her in cold sweats about him and another woman. Rubbing her forehead, she looked back.

"You know what, I really can't remember," Ginny said. She wasn't a great liar, but Harry always seemed to buy it. Harry nodded sympathetically.

"Just know," he said. "You can always tell me anything." Ginny smiled. It was true, she told Harry about almost everything, but she didn't think that he would want to hear this. She rolled over and slipped out of the bed, onto the floor. Stretching like a cat, flexing her back, Ginny rubbed her eyes. Tiny bits of sleep were still stuck in the corners. When she turned around, Harry had swivelled around, put on his glasses, and was sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I've got to go to class," said Ginny, walking over to the closet. Harry looked over at her.

"Are you sure?" he asked. Ginny cocked her head, almost like a puppy.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she said, he voice accusatory. "I have my exams next week!" Harry nodded.

"True, but will you be able to focus?" he asked. "I mean, you didn't get much sleep last night." Ginny raised an eyebrow. He was actually concerned about her amounts of _sleep_?

"I got about as much as you," she said. Ginny wasn't looking at him anymore. She'd opened her closet, and was trying to decide between different outfits. Jeans and jumper? Summer dress and boots? It hardly helped that she didn't know what the weather would be.

"Hey Harry?" she said, turning her head.

"Mmm?" he said. He had returned to lying down, his head in the book he was currently reading, Game of Thrones. Ginny sighed. He'd lived the whole fantasy lifestyle himself, he hardly had to read about a bunch of other magical folks going about their magical fantasy lives.

"Do you know what the weather'll be today?" she asked, turning back to the closet, and flicking through all the different clothes, even considering wearing one of Harry's shirts untucked over jeans. That would look pretty cool, right?

"No clue," he said. Ginny shook her head.

"Thanks for the help," she muttered under her breath, resuming her rifling through the closet. Shutting the closet door in frustration, Ginny walked back over and flopped onto the bed, hands to her face.

"You know what, I might not go to class," she said. Harry laughed.

"Something as simple as not knowing the temperature can ruin your day?" he said, incredulously. She looked over at him, eyebrows raised.

"No," she said. "Something as simple as not having anything to wear can be incredibly frustrating." Harry shook his head, and Ginny laughed.

"You don't know the female struggle," she said.

"You're completely right," he said. "I totally don't." Ginny reached over to find her phone on the bedside table, feeling around for its outline. As she touched the cold metal (she was too lazy to buy a case) Ginny grabbed it and lifted it up to her face. She unlocked it (her password was Lumos) and opened the weather app. It was Summer here in London, which meant it was about 19 degrees (celsius). Looks like it was a jeans and jumper day.

"Don't look," she said. "I'm getting changed." Harry made some sort of sound which was like a grunt, and sort of like a 'yes'.

When Ginny finished getting dressed, she walked out into the living room where all her textbooks (and her car keys) sat waiting on the table. Before she picked them up, she walked into the entrance way to pick up her book bag, which was plain red and emblazoned with dozens of shiny buttons. Walking back over to the coffee table, Ginny swept her Maths, History, English, Science, Business and Law textbooks into her bag. She picked up her red folder which held all of her assignments, her tests, exams, notebooks, lecture notes, her schedule and her laptop. Sliding the bag up to her left shoulder, and folding her right arm over her folder, she picked up her keys with limited amounts of trouble and walked over to the door.

"Bye Harry," she said, fiddling with one hand to open the door. She heard some sort of muffled reply from the bedroom, and smiled. He was so lazy sometimes. Opening the the door, Ginny headed off to class.

Returning later that evening, tired to the bone, Ginny opened the door, dumped her books, and flopped onto the sofa. Harry's head poked out from around the corner, before he walked out, dressed in a jumper that her mum had knitted for him, jeans, and converse sneakers.

"Good day at school?" he asked. Ginny looked up.

"Bleugh," she said. Harry grinned.

"I'm going to take that as a no," he said. Ginny nodded, her eyes shut.

"It's not school," she said. "It's muggle university. It's like 100% harder." Harry chuckled.

"I bet you're really regretting your decision not to sign up with me right now, huh?" she said, smiling. Harry grinned.

"Absolutely," he said. "I can't believe I didn't!" She gave him a playful shove.

"I've got so much homework," she groaned, hands to her face. Harry stopped smiling.

"Don't worry," he said. "I'll help you." She rolled over, looking at him.

"No offense, Harry," she said. "But what exactly do you know about Trigonometry, criminal law, and running a business?" Harry looked sheepish.

"Not much, admittedly," he said. "But I can still help, you know, as moral support?" Ginny smiled.

"Thanks, Harry," she said. "At least if we can't go on dates, we can bond over homework!" Harry smiled sadly.

"We really don't hang out much anymore, do we?" he said. Ginny looked up, eyes wide.

"Do you think that we're working out?" she asked. "You know, as a couple?" Now it was Harry's turn to look surprised.

"Of course!" he said. "Why would you think that we aren't?" Ginny shook her head.

"I don't know," she said. "It's just… We never hang out anymore, and you spend more time with Hermione than me, and I just… I just don't know." Ginny broke down, crying. She could feel Harry's arms around her, his hand stroking her hair.

"Shhh," he said to her. "It's ok, you're ok, I won't leave you, not ever." Ginny smiled into the fabric of his t-shirt, comforted by his words. He wouldn't leave her, not ever.

I'm really sorry for the lack of chapters and updates recently, I've been really caught up in schoolwork. Thanks to everyone who has followed, favourited and left reviews, and all your support is really great!


	4. Chapter 3 - A Sister's Strife

Chapter 3

A Sister's Strife

Sitting by Hermione's side, holding her hand, Ron was contemplating life. What was the point of living, if everything could be ripped away from you in an instant? Ever since she'd been taken from him, Ron hadn't had the most positive outlook on his life. But now, to hear that she would wake up, that once again he would hear her voice, see her smile, it filled him with warmth. So many people would call him sappy, but he called it devotion. Maybe even hope. Ron had been practicing his romantic confession in his head for hours, debating every word, every inferred meaning. He wanted the first words that she heard to be his, but he had always been the unluckiest of the golden trio, so the first thing she heard would probably be Harry talking to himself about quidditch. He couldn't help it, he felt an undeniable jealousy towards Harry. He and Hermione had always been so close. He could visit her whenever he wanted, while Ron had to work in the Leaky Cauldron. Harry was always the special one. Well, this time, Ron would get the girl. The right girl. He'd heard from Ginny that she and Harry were in a bit of a rough patch right now. At least, that was a month ago. He was busy with work, and she was busy with school. Mum and Dad still lived out at the Burrow, along with George, Bill, Charlie and Percy. He and Ginny never really saw them anymore, because Ginny lived with Harry now, and Ron had his own little townhouse on the city outskirts. Sure, he sent them owls often enough, but he never got replies. It had been an entire year since he'd seen them last, celebrating his birthday. Everything had been very forlorn. Mum and Dad still hadn't got over losing Fred. Neither had Ron, really. He felt as though there was a gaping hole inside him, with no one there to fill it. Long ago, he had promised himself that it would all be better once he had Hermione again, but it had all been so long. There was a tiny nagging voice, right at the back of his head, that he supposed had always been there. The nagging doubt that maybe, just maybe, Hermione wouldn't choose him. That she would wake up, and the first word hanging off of her lips would be the name of her precious Harry Potter. It pained him to think like this of his best friend, but he had always been second best. He wanted no repetitions of fourth year, when he had been so overcome by anger that he had completely abandoned Harry, when he had needed a friend more than anything. In his current mind, he had been an idiot. Him abandoning Harry like that had given Harry the full speed ahead to run to Hermione. True, nothing bad had come of it, but it didn't stop Ron mentally slapping himself every time it came up. His phone started to buzz in his pocket, startling him awake from his reverie. Slapping his pockets stupidly, still in a daze, he finally found his phone and slid it out of his pocket. It was Ginny. He knew something was up, she never called him. Pressing the button to answer the call, Ron lifted his phone to his ear.

"Hey Ginny," he said, casually.

"Hey Ron," she replied. There were a few tremors in her voice that made Ron realise she'd been crying.

"Look, I really need to talk with you," she said. "Could we maybe meet up for dinner?" Ron ran a hand through his hair. He'd been planning to spend the whole day here with Hermione.

"I don't know, Gin," he said. "I'm with Hermione right now, so…" Ginny's frustration was evident, even over the phone.

"Ron, she isn't going to wake up the second you close the door," said Ginny, the audible tremors replaced with her trademark 'I don't care if I'm the little sister, you're listening' voice.

"Just meet me at…" she said. "You know what? You can pick where we eat. Do some research, I know you don't get out much, and call me back when you've picked."

"Um, okay," he said, but she'd already hung up. Ron shook his head in disbelief. Just his luck to have the craziest little sister.

He'd decided that they would eat at the Leaky Cauldron. Even though he worked there every day except weekends, they still had good food and a better atmosphere. Ever since Hannah Abbott took over from Tom, the inn had been much brighter, less dank, less creepy place. He had called Ginny, the phone was ringing, and he was sitting there, staring at Hermione. He heard the phone stop ringing, and a tinny, inaudible Ginny voice sounded. Lifting the phone to his ear, Ron answered.

"Hello?" said Ginny.

"Yeah, I'm here," he said. "Excited for dinner?"

"Hardly," she said. He could practically hear the eye roll. "We have to discuss some serious stuff, ok?" Ron smiled.

"Aw," he said, sarcastically. "I thought I was spending some good old quality time with my beloved little sister." Ginny sighed.

"So," she said. "Where are we eating?"

"The Leaky Cauldron," he said sheepishly. Ginny groaned. She didn't think particularly highly of Ron's newfound workplace. Also, she'd never really liked Hannah Abbott.

Ron had apparated to the Leaky Cauldron, and now he was basically just standing outside, waiting for Ginny. Soon enough, a cab emblazoned with ads for various things pulled up on the curb, and out stepped his little sister, red hair down on her shoulders, freckles everywhere. He smiled fondly. He hadn't seen his sister recently, and Ron was really looking forward to spending some time together. Ginny bent over through the window to pay the cabbie, and when she turned around, Ron could see that her eyes were puffed up from crying. That set his brain to wondering. Had Harry done something to her? Had she failed an exam?

"Hey Ginny," he said. She wiped her eyes and her nose with her hand, sniffling.

"Hey," she said. Her voice was sad. Ron opened his arms, and Ginny threw herself into them, embracing him in a bone-crushing hug. Tentatively, he hugged her back. It was kind of awkward, because he was so much taller than her. It was more like hugging her head.

"Um…" said Ron. Ginny stepped away, smiling sadly. She wiped her eyes once again.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly. Ron smiled. He didn't want to laugh at her, she clearly wasn't in the best of places right now.

"First," he said. "We need to get you inside, and feed you something. Then we'll talk." Ginny nodded, and Ron put his arm around her shoulder and led her inside. Pushing open the door, Ron and Ginny entered the Leaky cauldron. He could hear Ginny's gasp when she saw the new decorations, and he couldn't help feeling a little bit proud of his workplace.

"This is so…" she said, struggling to find the words. "New." Ron was a bit miffed that she hadn't settled for 'amazing' or 'gorgeous', but that was her fault.

"D'you like it?" he asked, hoping that she did. Ginny looked up at him, nodding and smiling.

"It makes a great change," she said. "I mean, I never really liked Hannah Abbott, but I can't deny that she knows how to run a business." Ron grinned. Shortly, as they stood on the entrance mat, waiting to be seated, Hannah Abbott walked over and promptly kissed Ron on both cheeks.

"Ron," she said. "Not here to work, I assume?" Ron smiled and shook his head.

"I'm here for dinner with my little sister, actually," he said. Hannah's smile vanished as she saw Ginny.

"Ah, Ginny," she said, with significantly less warmth.

"Hannah," Ginny said curtly. Ron sighed.

"Come on you two," he said. "We're all friends here." Hannah seemed to remember that Ron was there, and instantly there it was - Her lighthouse beam of a smile. Practically blinding.

"Of course, darling," she said. "Where are my manners?" She giggled politely. Ron played along. He knew Hannah was hitting on him, but honestly he didn't care for her at all beyond being friends.

"Do you think you could find us a table?" he asked. "A booth, preferably. Gin and I have some private stuff we need to talk about." Hannah walked off with a humph. Ron and Ginny looked at each other and it soon became apparent that both of them were struggling to hold in their laughter. Shortly, a brunette, lightly tanned waitress with white-edged glasses and a messy bun walked over.

"Hi," she said in a light american accent. "My name is Beca, I'll be taking care of you this evening." Ron smiled. He knew Beca, and she was great with people.

'Hey," he said. Beca turned around from her leading position in the line.

"Oh my gosh," she said. 'Ron! I didn't recognise you!" Ron laughed.

"Well, I'm behind the bar all day," he said. "Unless you're in need of a pint, you probably wouldn't ever recognise me!" Beca giggled.

"Who's this?" she asked, enquiring about Ginny.

"Oh," she said. "I'm Ginny, Ron's little sister." Beca smiled.

"He's told me about you before," she said.

"He'd better not have said anything bad," said Ginny. Ron could feel his ears going red as fire engines, and he ran a hand through his hair awkwardly. Ginny and Beca continued talking as she led them to the table, smiling all the while.

"Here you go," said Beca when they reached the booth. It was the most private table of them all, inset into a corner.

"Thanks Bec," said Ron. Beca smiled, adjusting her thick-framed glasses.

"I'll be right back," she said. "I'll just go get some menus for you both." Ron nodded, and Beca walked off. Ginny leant over the table to talk to him.

"She's so nice!" she said. "I mean, normally the people here are all freaks!" Ron laughed.

"Hannah decided that every member of staff should be witch or wizarding folk that looked normal," he said, explaining the new 'rules of work' so to speak.

"Good decision," said Ginny. Ron looked up at her.

"So, why did you want to meet up?" Ron asked. Small talk and banter oughtn't get in the way of the serious reason why she called.

"Well, I…" she said. It was at that exact moment that Beca walked over with their menus. Damn. Stupid inconvenient waitress timing.

"Here are your menus," she said. "Just call me with the spell on the back when you're ready to order."

"Thanks Bec," said Ron. "Are the silencio charms up on the booths?" Beca nodded.

"Even if they weren't you'd put them up anyway," she said, and they both laughed. "Okay, call me when you need me!" She walked away with a wink. Ron shook his head. Sure, Beca was beautiful, but it was common knowledge that you shouldn't date your co-workers (most of the time anyway). Besides, the only girl for him was Hermione, that he knew.

"Ron?" said Ginny, and only then did he realise that she'd been talking to him.  
"Sorry," he said. "I was daydreaming." Ginny sighed.

"Anyway," she said. "I'd been asking what you meant with the silence charms." Ron nodded.

"That's why I asked for a booth," he said. "They have silence charms on them, so they're really private."

"Huh," she said. "Cool idea." Ron smiled.

"It was my idea, actually," he said. Ginny smiled.

"Nice one," she said. "Anyway, what I wanted to tell you is that… well…" Ron reached over and put his hand on top of hers, comforting her.

"You know you can tell me anything," he said. Ginny nodded.

"I just, recently, it's been more apparent that Harry and I aren't working out as well as we could be," she said, her voice breaking. He could see the tears beginning to well up in her eyes, and he scooted around on the bench to give her a hug.

"Harry loves you, Gin," he said. "I'm sure of it." Ginny smiled up at him, but it was obvious that his words hadn't done much to calm her.

"Just with my university, and his job, a-and…," she said. "And every Wednesday he visits Hermione, instead of spending the time with m-me!" She broke down in sobs now, her body shaking. Ron held her close, stroking the back of her head.

"Shhh," he said. "It's a difficult time for all of us. We can't all be happy, that's just how life works. You know she's waking up soon?" He could feel her head movement against his chest.

"Harry told me," she said. "And I don't know w-whether to be happy o-or… well, or frightened." She broke down again, her tears wetting the fabric of his shirt.

"Ginny," he said. "Hermione _knows_ you and Harry are dating. She's not some home-wrecker, she's your _friend_." Ginny shook her head, her sobs still loud and clear.

"I know, I know," she said. "But it's just instinctive, you know? I - I just can't h-help it!" She kept crying, but not as loudly anymore.

"It's okay, Ginny," he said, still hugging her. "Just empty out all your feelings. You know I'm always here to listen."

"The worst part… The worst part is t-that I've been having these awful, a-awful dreams," she sobbed. This intrigued Ron. They were wizards, dreams normally meant something.

"What were you dreaming about, Gin?" he asked, tentative, wary that he was treading on thin ice here.

"It.. It was Harry… and it was Hermione and y-you and me and they w-were together and…" Her voice trailed off into more sobbing. He figured that right now her head was pretty messed up with all the emotions, he wouldn't press her too much.

"It was Harry a-and Hermione and they w-were kissing and your heart was b-broken and I was just… Standing there, alone, and - and then I woke up but I didn't and they were there and I just can't take it any more!" She was yelling more than crying now, and Ron was grateful for the silence charms.

"And all of these - these _voices_ just kept yelling and laughing and crying and I just want it all to stop," she sob-yelled. He couldn't help it, these dreams sounded ominous to him. Hermione and Harry? It almost confirmed his fears that he'd been feeling recently. He mentally slapped himself. He couldn't freak out, not now. His little sister was sobbing into his chest, he had to be focused, he had to be strong to keep her strong. He had to say something that would calm her down, or make her stop crying at the very least.

"I know, Gin, I know," he said. "Sit up, dry your eyes, and we'll talk properly, ok?" Ginny nodded. Sitting up, Ginny wiped her eyes (and her nose) on her sleeve.

"Sorry about breaking down like that," she said.

"It's alright," Ron said softly. "I know how you feel. After all, I found my true love frozen in a coma on the day I'd hoped to confess my feelings." Ginny smiled sadly.

"I guess your pain is worse than mine," she said. "And mine is only a simple instinct, nothing more." Tears were still making her eyes shine, so Ron knew she was lying, but he wasn't going to press it. He loved his little sister too dearly to hurt her, even though he didn't show it.

"Ginny, I know how hard it is to let someone take over your heart, to let them in," he said. "After all, I denied Hermione for so long by dating Lavender." Ginny smiled sadly once again.

"I've already let him in," she said. "But maybe he's poking my heart in all the wrong places." Ron shook his head.

"If that's how you feel, Gin," he said. "Why don't you just break up with him?" Unfortunately, the moment the last word slipped out of his mouth, he knew he'd said the wrong thing. Ginny shoved him, hard, and looked at him disdainfully. Ron fell, landing hard on his back, and his head hit the wall. Once his head had stopped ringing, Ron looked up to see a seething Ginny, her face flushed red with anger. Ron was internally beating himself up for suggesting something so stupid to Ginny, especially a Ginny wrought with emotion.

"Ginny," he said. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." Ginny just shook her head.

"No, you shouldn't. If that's the advice you're gong to give, why did I even ask you?" she said, pushing him away, her voice still shaking from the tears which were still slowly flowing, accentuating all the emotion she was clearly feeling.

"I'm so stupid to ever have asked you. You don't know what it's like in my head, okay? I love Harry, but what if he doesn't love. Me. Back?" She stood up, hands balled into fists by her side. "In fact, why did I _ever_ trust you with all of this?"

"If you were just going to _insult_ me by suggesting I wasn't good enough… By saying that I might be _lying_ about loving him…" Ron was taken aback, aghast if you will. He hadn't intended to insult Ginny at all. In fact, when had he _ever_ said that she wasn't good enough? Ron spoke in a calm voice, hoping to sooth the seething beast that was his little sister.

"Ginny, calm down," he said. "I didn't mean it like that." Ginny's ears were still bright red. Unlike him, her ears went red with anger, not embarrassment.

"Oh really?" she said, sceptical. "Didn't you? Because that's what it sounded like." Ron shook his head.

"Of course not," he said. "Gin, you never get to see this, but you make Harry so happy. I mean, you should hear our talks. He loves you Gin, he really does. I was afraid for you, and for him, if you lie to yourself about loving him." Ginny's features softened. It had taken a lot for Ron to get that out, the way he felt about Harry and Ginny.

"Ron…" she said. "Is that really what Harry's like?" Ron nodded. He couldn't have been more sincere in his description.

"He's never like that around me…" she said, almost beginning to cry again. "Why doesn't he show me how he feels? It's like I don't even know him…" Crying once again shook her fragile frame, tears sliding down her cheeks, less like waterfalls now but slowly, almost painfully.

"He's cried about you before, you know," he said, smiling sadly. "Cried about how little you see of each other, cried about many things. Every time you're brought up, so is a bloody huge bank vault of emotions in Harry." Ginny tried to hide her sad smile as she sat back down.

"That almost makes me smile," she said. "I love him truly, but I just have all these fears. It's one of my first actual, long relationships, and I'm, well, I'm scared, Ron." He put an arm around her shoulders, attempting to comfort her.

"Ginny, have you never seen any romantic tragedies?" he said. She smiled forlornly. "It's being scared that pushes them away. You have to be open, Gin. I know how it feels. I know how scary it is. But promise me you'll try?" Ginny nodded.

"I promise I'll try," she said, her voice shaky. "Harry promised me yesterday that he wouldn't leave me." She said. Ron was uncertain as to where that little factoid had come from, but it was certainly interesting.

"If he said that, Gin, then why are you so afraid?" Ron asked softly. "You have to take risks every once in a while."

"I know," she said. "But I miss mum and dad. Right now, you're the only one I've got, and to be honest you aren't so bad at advice, but we haven't been back to the burrow for so long, and I just miss them all." Ron nodded. He could completely understand where she was coming from.

"I promise that once Hermione wakes up, we'll try and go on a great big trip, ok? You, me, Hermione and Harry," he said. He could see hope and happiness written on Ginny's face now, rather than sadness. There was still sadness there, but not nearly as much as before.

"Well, lots of people have been making promises lately," she said. "I hope this is one that you can keep."

"Look," he said, fearful to be the one who broke the mood. "Can we order food now?" Ginny laughed, but it sounded forced.

"Sure we can," she said, nonchalantly. "I'm pretty hungry." Picking up their menus and flipping them over, he could see Ginny's eyes hungrily scanning the page. In his peripheral vision, Beca's head poked out from the side of a wall, clearly checking on whether they'd decided to order.

"So," said Ron. "Care to discuss something other than Harry?" Ginny nodded.

"Definitely," she said, sounding much more comfortable.

"How's university been?" asked Ron, absentmindedly trying to think of conversation topics.

"Not too bad," she said. "I mean, it's hard, sure, but I'm dealing with it all fairly well."

"Except for, you know," said Ron jokingly. "The part where you break down in tears because you can't spend time with your boyfriend." Ginny frowned and gave him a shove.

"Oh shut up, you git," she said. "Look, what do you want to order?"

"I don't really know," he said. "I mean, I'm always cooking the food, but I'm hardly ever eating it myself." Ginny nodded.

"The pasta doesn't sound that bad," she said. "Bolognese, lasagna, carbonara, it's amazing how much you've jazzed up the menu!" Their conversation still sounded forced, and less comfortable than before, but Ron didn't mind.

"I'd recommend the lasagna," he said. "Beca cooks that, and it's bloody brilliant!" He'd decided a few weeks back to bring back his old catchphrase from his youth. Ginny was nodding along.

"Doesn't sound too bad," she said. "I'll get that then." Ron nodded. The pizzas had caught his eye today, and he was debating between meat-lovers and plain cheese.

"Look, Ron," said Ginny. He was surprised that she'd been the one to restart the conversation. "What I told you is a secret, ok?" Ron nodded seriously. He understood completely why she didn't want her boyfriend (they'd been together for four years) to know that she was having dreams about him with another woman.

"I just don't want Harry doubting us, as a couple, ok?" she asked.

"You can trust me, Gin," he said. "When have I ever let you down?"

A/N

Thank you all for being so patient with me, and I will almost definitely have another chapter (maybe 2) up before Sunday, so look forward to that, and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Also, I'm holding a competition in the reviews/comments for how long it should be before Hermione wakes up i.e. 5 chapters, 1 chapter, 3 and a half chapters, or any amount really. I'll select the one that's picked the most, so until then, bye!


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